New member joins Chatham board, McManus to resign

PITTSBORO — A new member of the Chatham County Board of Education will be sworn into office at the start of the board’s meeting on Monday, Dec. 3.

Karen Howard will take her oath of office, replacing Flint O’Brien, as the new District 1 representative on the five-member board. David Hamm, District 2 representative and current board chair, was also re-elected to a four-year term. Both were unopposed in the November election.

The board, which meets at 5:45 p.m. in the Central Office board room in Pittsboro, will also conduct its annual reorganization and then go into closed session. The open session for the regular meeting is scheduled to resume at 6:30 p.m.

Another board member, Deb McManus of Siler City, is resigning from the board due to her election to the N.C. House. She’s to address the board during Monday’s public comments. She’s been the District 4 representative on the board for 10 years.

The board has determined its process to fill the remainder of her term, from January 2013 through December 2014.

The application and further information for interested citizens, who must reside in District 4, are available on the county schools website at www.chatham.k12.nc.us. Deadline to submit applications is Jan. 4.

A board meeting to interview candidates will be held Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 5 p.m.; the selection of the new member, by majority vote, is scheduled for the Jan. 14 evening session. The oath of office will be administered to the new board member at the Feb. 4 meeting and he/she will participate in an orientation, conducted by Central Office staff, on Feb. 21.